cheap homemade MLT vs cheaper homemade MLT

ive been brewing in bags in the kettle and am finally very tired of doing that (extra effort + limited gravity)


so im going to buy a cooler and convert it, this link would be ideal becuase it looks nice and solid and will last, but after checking three home hardware type stores in my city they dont seem to have all the parts listed and some that they do have are only in different sizes.. so as much as it would be awesome i think i want to go with this improvised mashtun.

my main question is about the plastic tubing, how high does "hi-temp" tubing go? my siphon tubing says max temp 150 fahrenheit, will that be an issue with sparge water temperatures?

Not sure on the tubing, but I just made a MLT using this link:



The video is fantastic and not that there weren't issues getting it done, but it worked perfectly. It will obviously work with all types of coolers. I did mine with a Home Depot 10 gallon Igloo-style water cooler ($40...it's not on their website, but they have them in stock).

Nothing wrong w/ a simple mash tun IMO.

here is one I made a while ago,
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/ten-minute-cooler-mash-tun-conversion-125108/

And an old time favorite...the el cheapo mash tun
http://cruisenews.net/brewing/infusion/page1.php

If you want a nice ss valve...then suit yoursef. The way I view it, even with a valve, I would still have to elevate the end of the tubing to keep the wort past the valve from running all overr the floor. So if you need to pin up the end of the tubing...do ya need a valve, I say no...YMMV.

It is confusing, some vinyl tubing says 180 degrees...some 150?? For a few bucks you could use silicone.

Rather than reinventing the wheel' bargainfittings.com will hook you up at afair price as well.

Vinyl tubing doesn't do well with heat unless you use the reinforced variety, which is still much cheaper than silicone.

thanks for the vid and suggestion dmbosox, i looked a bit more online for those kind of parts, and was still torn as to what to do.. but yeah after looking at that "ten minute cooler mashtun" link... i remembered.. about 1/3 of the reason i got into brewing was to save money on beer, and if it works then use it. im going to just go to my LHBS and ask if they have silicone tubing, or what they think would work, thanks wilser

I used the 10-gallon Rubbermaid cooler design from homebrewtalk.com, but made a couple of changes. Instead of the braided hose, I bought one of these for $14 from a LHBS. To fit it in the cooler, I disassembled it and used a stainless steel clamp to attach the screen directly to the 3/8" brass nipple, with a washer between the clamp and the side of the cooler.

This design was improvised due to lack of planning, but it works. I may switch to a false bottom or a manifold at some point, but I'm happy with this for now.

I got most of the parts at Lowe's. I had to go to a Fastenal store (have one nearby) to get the 3/8" fender washers. They are primarily for spacing, so if you can find something else that works, go for it.

If I were doing it all over again, I'd just buy a CoolerKit from one of the online homebrew stores. After trial, error, and re-trial, I ended up spending more on the cooler modifications that the kit would have cost shipped. Don't buy a cooler from them, though. You can get them much cheaper from your local Lowe's or Home Depot.

Just be sure that the braid and the clamps are stainless steel. Some of the supply braids are plastic (nylon?) and will collapse under the weight of the grain. If the clamp inside the tun is not stainless, it will rust.